WraithWorking TItle
by MartaJones
Summary: A Wraith Commander, named Todd by the Atlantis expedition, meets a strange, telepathic human woman on a culling and decides he want to find out more about her.  WOrking title and Summary...will re-do as the story develops.
1. Prologue

The Commander walked through his Hive, head high, his attention focused mainly on tasks he was facing for the day. A part of his mind, as always was focused on the interaction of the different Wraith aboard his hive and their mental network. Wraith are telepathic creature, and they want, no they CRAVE the mental connection to other Wraith. AS such, there was always a current of communication between the Wraith aboard his Hive. Much as humans speak to each other, these communications between his subordinates gave him a unique viewpoint of how each of his crew felt and thought. Even the lack of telepathic thoughts, from certain Wraith, gave him insight. To block out his "brothers", an individual Wraith would have to be actually concentrating on shielding his thoughts. There were only three occasions when that would happen: If a Wraith was considering or planning a mutiny, if he were involved in a "personal act" that he felt the need for privacy…or if the Wraith in question was in some way not feeling a part of their Hive. The second instance happened often; Wraith enjoyed the act of procreation as much as any other species. The act of procreation released endorphins, and relieved stress, as with any living being. Indeed, the procreation action was incredibly enjoyable for both parties and considering the ratio of male Wraith to female Wraith, about 70 to 1, humans were more often than not the procreation partners for the male Wraith. And considering that his Hive was Queen-less, that made the odds in favor of human/wraith pairings even more likely. He himself had taken a human procreation partner from time to time…though in recent years, he was more likely to "borrow' one from the Human worshippers onboard his Hive rather than take one as permanent plaything.

The other two instance of a Wraith separating himself from the "network" onboard a Hive was much more worrisome. Wraith are, in general, an aggressive species and very often, the improvement in rank would be due to the defeating of a superior officer. While he, himself, was relatively safe as there were few if any Wraith that could compare with his years and experience, others in his crew were not. And a change, even a positive one, caused problems that the Commander really didn't want to crop up at this point. And a Wraith that felt separated from his brothers, was an unhappy wraith…and an unhappy wraith was a dangerous Wraith…..and one who might might deadly mistakes.

Thankfully, today, his crew were happy and excited. The upcoming Culling was going to be an exciting one. And while he as the Commander, felt and enjoyed his crews excitement, he didn't share it. In the normal scale of things, he wouldn't leave the Hive; entrusting the Culling to his second, a Sub Commander. However, because of the size of the culling and the lowered number of his crew because of the Hoffman virus, he would be attending this Culling. Their intelligence said there would be a sizable contingent of Genii on this planet, however, and that was a boon he had not expected. Since the Genii had kept him confined in a cell for decades, he felt much hatred and animosity toward them. Anytime he was allowed to feed from a Genii, it was a good feeding. And today promised the opportunity of feeding on many of his enemy.

Arriving at the Bridge, he relieved one of his crew at the main station and sent a mental demand for a status report from the other crew. Each gave their own telepathic report in order of seniority, beginning with his second. Everything was acceptable and the schedule for the Culling was progressing as expected. Taking the controls of the Hive, he settled into the telepathic communion with the ship and ran through a diagnostic, making sure all systems were in good shape. Since Wraith Hive ships, and indeed, most of Wraith Tech, were composed of living organism, the Hive responded with its report and a mental touch to his mind; almost a caress. Sighing he initiated the protocols to set the Hive into orbit around the selected planet and sent out the mental commands to his crew to ready themselves for the culling. Most of the crew would be planet side, but a small number mostly very young Wraith, would be remaining onboard. He could sense their disappointment and it made him smile; he remembered being young and so desperate to grow up and become an active part of a culling. But in these times of Wraith turning on Wraith, leaving the ship unprotected was foolhardy. And after being alive many centuries, he was anything but foolish.

The Commander sniffed and wrinkled his nose; the stench of fear, desperation and body odors of the humans of this world was almost over-powering. He walked toward a building, set apart from most in this tiny village and gingerly sidestepped the dried husks of what had once been human beings. He, himself, had fed to capacity already, so his current foray was one of curiosity, rather than necessity. The building reminded him strongly of the prison that the Genii had imprisoned him in for so long, and he was curious as to it's true purpose. Reaching the building, he tried the door, noting the bars on all the windows, but it was locked. NO matter to a Wraith, whose strength much surpassed any humans. He simply broke the lock and swung the door open. There were three men here, but what surprised and nearly stopped the Commander in his tracks was the rush of telepathic communication that washed over him. At first, he presumed that they had a Wraith Queen inside this facility, but the feel was distinctly human. Very curious now, as he had never encountered a human with that much telepathic ability. He moved toward the source of that telepathic connection, absently feeding on or ignoring the Genii on the way, most of who either cowered in fear, or ran from the building; often right into the arms of his waiting crew. He approached a room, huge windows ran the length of the walls on either side of a locked door. Inside he saw a human woman, tied to a table attempting to avoid the touch of the Genii who was evidently focused on procreating with her, no matter the danger he was in. The human woman was obviously terrified, striking out with one foot not tied down as she tried to avoid the touch, her mind nearly smother in fear, but still so strongly telepathic that he searched her for any Wraith genetics. Finding none, but instead finding she was unfamiliar in feel from most of the humans of the Pegasus Galaxy, he made a decision. Forcing the door open, he stepped in, watching as the male stopped his attempts at forced procreation and stared at him, eyes wide as though finally realizing the danger he was in. The commander strode forward and grabbed the human by the neck, lifting him up and simply breaking his neck. He dropped the body and wiped his hand on his leather coat, before turning to the woman. She was, rather than cowering in fear of him, staring at him, wide eyed. He reached out his mind and to his amazement, she slammed shields up around her mind, effectively blocking him out. No matter how he tried to breach those shields, she kept them intact. Frowning, he made another decision, that would more than likely cause him no end of problems. He walked over, slowly and reached for her bonds. She shrunk away from him, fear evident, but not, he felt, because of his species. Rather she seemed to fear he was intent on finishing what the dead Genii had started. But even as she shrunk, she raised her chin and glared at him as she struck at him with her mind. He winced inside, not giving her any indication that it had been incredibly power and painful, and said, out loud,

"Madame, I am simply going to untie you…..I assure you there is nothing else on my intent."

A brief hesitation as she touched his mind and he allowed her to reach his public mind, impressed that she managed to keep her own shields in place. Slowly she nodded and said, her voice hoarse and obviously not used much recently, "Ok…th..thank you…."

Untying her and attempting to be gently as he removed the ropes from her skin, where they had burned into her flesh, he allowed her to be in his public mind, though she learned little, it seemed to give her some assurance. Once she was untied, he gazed at her and said, "Madame…my crew are culling this world. You may remain here, if you choose to, but I suggest if you do that, you stay out of site until the culling is over….there may be some Genii or villagers remaining after as well, so you may wish to arm yourself".

After a brief hesitation, during which she managed to sit up, though not steadily and said, "Can I just go with you?"

Once again he tried to access her mind, but her shield prevented it, and imminently curious now ,he said, "You may, however, you may find the choice to be detrimental in the future…being a human on a Hive ship has its own dangers…."

"I don't know what that is…a Hive ship I mean….and I'm really not sure what you are…..but I'd rather go with you than remain here….if that's all right."

Todd tried to probe her mind and to his surprise, she allowed him to access a small section of her public mind…enough for him to realize she had no idea what a Wraith was….and that she obviously wasn't from this planet…he thought, briefly, that she might even be a part of the Atlantis expedition with John Sheppard…but another quick look told him she wasn't that either. Intrigued, he placed his hand under her arm as she attempted to rise and stumbled and said, "Very well, Madame…you may accompany me….can you walk?"

:Yes…", he covered his surprise at her use of telepathy directly to his mind, but respected both her ability and her strength of character that made her refuse his help. He also realized that whatever clothing she did wear was in tatters. He strode over and removed the outer garments from the dead Genii, before coming back over and handing it to her, with a smile that had terrified many a human,

:Wear this…I do not believe he will be needing it father:, she nodded and trembling, put the garment on. It fell to slightly above her knee and he stood there as she got to her feet, unsteady and grabbed onto the table to steady herself. She looked at him and verbally said,

"Lead on McDuff…..", frowning, he said, "My name is not "McDUff….but follow me anyway."

She walked behind him, once they exited the building, he pulled her gently next to him, allowing her to set the pace. He could feel the pain that every step cost her, but she held her head high and refused to ask for help. That earned her more respect, but he did wish to leave this place sooner, rather than later, so he turned to her and said,

:In order to make sure that my people know you are mine and not available for their attention, it will be necessary for met o pick you up and carry you….do not resist.:

She nodded and he felt the relief as he scooped her up into his arms and strode to the shuttle. He knew his crew had seen him with the little human, but he cared very little. Often on a culling a Wraith took a human pet…while he had not done so in the memory of this crew, it was not out of the ordinary. Entering the shuttle, he placed her on a seat and realized she had either passed out or fallen asleep. Considering her briefly, he shrugged and left to pilot the shuttle to the Hive.


	2. Chapter 1

Todd secured the shuttle in its bay, then stood and walked back to where the human woman lay, still either asleep or unconscious. Staring down at her, he idly fingered his goatee as he considered her. He wanted to run some genetic tests on her to make sure there was no Wraith DNA and to see what there was genetically inside her that might have created the telepathy, but the small mental zap he'd received earlier concerned him, since she had not been overly upset, and he suspected she was capable of a lot more. He also wanted her to become comfortable with him, something that was not going to happen if he locked her up and experimented on her. So he considered his options, then made the decision that he felt would benefit his cause the most, as he always did. He scooped her up and headed through the ship toward his own quarters.

She continued to sleep as he placed her on a sitting surface in his quarters and he took a blood sample as well as a DNA sample and called a drone to him to take the samples to his lab and place them in the cooling unit. Though she was either asleep or unconscious, he was leaning towards the latter, actually, her shields remained firmly in place and she was not relaxed. He considered allowing her to wake on her own, but her current condition of cleanliness was an assault on his sensitive Wraith senses. And he felt she might rest better if she was clean and comfortable.

Sighing he left the room and began the filling the soaking unit with a combination of hot water, slightly warmer than her current body temperature, and a specific enzyme that Wraith used to soak in to calm themselves and relax; but this enzyme seemed to have a healing or regenerating effect on humans. When mixed with water, it created an almost gel-like substance that was very comfortable for both Wraith and human, or He removed his outer garments, leaving him clad only in his sleeveless shirt and soft ship pants. He hesitated, he didn't want to frighten her, but he also didn't want her to drown; and he hated getting into the soaking unit dressed. Sighing he finished undressing and went back into his primary quarters. He went back into his quarters and picked up the little human, carrying her to the soaking unit and beginning to undress her.

Cara sighed and tried to move, expecting the ropes to stop her. But instead of feeling the hard, cold table and burning ropes, she felt herself floating in something soft, warm and feeling something like warm jello. Her first thought was that the last month had been a dream…a horrific, realistic dream. She'd never been on a plane that crashed into the infamous Bermuda Triangle, never woke to find herself somewhere totally different than her own planet in a place that had never heard of the Caribbean…nor of Earth. Never been traded by the people she thought were helping her to a group of soldiers intent on getting all the information she possessed about Earth at any cost…never been nearly raped and saved by a creature with greenish skin and white…...long…..soft….

Cara snapped awake and jerked away from the masculine form that had been supporting her. The gel like liquid fell away from her shoulders and down to her breasts, which is when she realized she was naked. Hunkering down in the water, or whatever this stuff was, she glared at the creature before her, his long white hair, which had been what had brought her to reality, floating in the gel as he moved his arms to the sides of the tub from where they had evidently been wrapped around her. Outwardly unconcerned, he continued to watcher her, his odd, golden eyes with their vertical slit pupil were neutral as he simply waited for her to speak. She tried to, but the weeks of doing little speaking, and a lot of screaming, made her words catch in her throat. So she cleared her throat and tried again, before resorting to what she vaguely remembered had worked before,

:Who are you? Why are we…_HERE_…like this?:

The creature responded the same way, his mind voice held a note of amusement as well as caution and she once more tried to reach his mind, only to find this time, it was shuttered tightly against her,

: This enzyme is somewhat rejuvenating and healing for humans, and I felt you could use that….as well as a good cleansing…as to why _/I/_ am here these are my quarters…and more specifically, I was unsure if you would be able to be in this soaking unit without drowning. Going through the trouble to save you , then to have you drown in my own soaking unit seemed a waste. :

Considering that, she conceded that he had a point, but not quite ready to give up yet, she said out loud,

"And why are we naked?"

The creature cocked his head, a slight smile on his face that was quite fearsome with the row of sharp teeth evident and said, also out loud, "Do you normally bathe with your clothing on?" Again, Cara had to concede his point. She continued to hunker in the gel watching him leaning back in the much more relaxed position and wondered if he was just at an odd angle, or if the tub was deeper at that side….and if he maybe had a bench to sit on, because despite the way the gel felt, which was very good, she had to admit, she was getting tired of standing there. Realizing that the creature, he HAD to have a name, she couldn't go around calling the "the creature", had already seen her naked and had been holding her in his arms when she woke, more than likely had no intention of killing her at this point at least. So she took a hesitant step in his direction and felt more than saw him tense. She considered that, before coming to the conclusion that he, for he was UNDOUBTEDLY a he, even the blue tinged gel wasn't THAT opaque, less sure than she was. She knew he hadn't hurt her when he had the choice, but he had no such knowledge. She stopped and thought to him,

:IS the tub deeper over there?:

:Tub? Ahhh, the soaking unit? Yes, it has a gradual decline toward this side to allow a more relaxed soaking. :

:Is there a bench? You know, something to sit on?:

:There is…would you like to join me on it?:

Cara bit her lower lip, not realizing that to the Commander, the act of sucking her bottom lip in and gnawing at it with her teeth was quite fetching. But he remained externally calm and simply watched her, allowing her to make the decision. He reached out with his mind and this time, she allowed him past her powerful external shields into her public mind, where he found her fear as well as her desire. Smiling, he raised a hand and began to finger his goatee as he thought to her, :I have no desire to either hurt or molest you, little human. Had I the desire to do so, do you not think I would have done it when you were unconscious before I placed you in the soaking unit?:

:Did you?: He chuckled, and projected both his amusement and his desire to help her and his curiosity about her into his mind voice as he thought, :no, little human….were I to have molested you, you would be quite aware of it. : As an afterthought, he wasn't sure how she'd react to teasing, he thought, :and you would not be nearly so tense….come and sit beside me, Little Human…I promise not to touch you if you do not wish it…..:

He felt her amusement, though she was still frightened and tense, she moved slowly to his side of the soaking unit and placed her knee on the seat next to him, poise as though to flee, but facing him, watching him,

:You're telepathic", he cocked his head again, that particular statement was completely unnecessary since they had been conversing mentally for some time. However, he answer her, allowing the slight amusement and irritation at the silly question color his mind, :I am…as are you.:

He felt the fear well up as well as..some other emotion that he couldn't name, but she seemed upset she had caused his irritation. It wasn't exactly fear, but since she seemed to want to please him, he removed all traces of irritation and thought, mind voice gentle, :It's fine Little Human….I'm not upset…relax, allow the enzyme to work on your injuries. The Genii hurt you badly, did they not?:

:Is that what the soldiers are called?: He felt her strengthen her shields around certain parts of her mind and considered backing off, but decided that she already wished to please him, encouraging her to feel safe with him and comfortable seemed a better course of action, : yes, that is what the soldiers who had you are called…they are from a troublesome world that has created no end to trouble for the other humans as well as my kind…..:

Her curiosity came to the forefront again and she thought, : What exactly _IS_ your "kind"?:

: I am Wraith, Little Human…..how is it you do not know what I am?:

:There are none of you where I come from. :

:Truly? How unusual…perhaps I can go there with you at some point….: He literally felt her shut down, her mind shields raised, though she allowed him to remain touching the outermost parts of her public mind, her fear and tenseness raised and she began to pull away. Knowing he'd gone too far, he changed the subject, keeping his voice gentle and soothing and projecting his curiosity and concern strongly he thought :relax little human….allow the enzyme to work…you are in no immediate danger, and no danger from me at all. Will you allow me to touch you?:

She hesitated, then nodded and he reached over, picking up her arm from the enzyme, raising it above the gel, he inspected the rope burns and tears, before thinking :Your physical wounds are deep, Little Human, but I believe your mental ones may be deeper…..will you allow me to help you, little Human?:

She frowned, beginning to worry her bottom lip against as she considered what he said, and touching his mind, as he allowed her to see the concern he legitimately felt for her as well as the calmness, the gentleness and the curiosity and intrigue he felt toward her. Out loud she said,

"You're not going to hurt me?" The Commander smiled, truly amused and said,

"No, little human…I am not intending to hurt you. On the contrary, I want to help you.."

Switching back to mental, something that the Commander was very impressed with…not even some Wraith could switch back and forth between verbal and mental communication that quickly, she said, her suspicion clearly evident, :Why?:

He considered lying….giving her some story that he would back up, manipulating her…instead, he chose to manipulate her with what had worked in his dealings with the Atlantis Earth expedition, the truth…or some of it at least, :Because you intrigue me….you are unlike any human in my experience. I want to explore you….and find out who you are.:

She considered that, tasted his mind and found the truth, though he was aware that she also sensed the depth of information past the public face of his answer, a fact that took his respect for her up another notch, but she relaxed next to him and thought, :Ok….I believe you. I would be dead if you hadn't come when you did and rescued me….so I guess every day past this one is gravy anyway….even if you kill me tomorrow, I'll have had one extra day. Besides, I got into this looking for adventure…guess sometimes you should be careful what you wish for…:

/Amusement/: Yes, Little Human….all of that is true. But I have desire or intention of harming you, let alone killing you. And if that changes, you're perfectly capable of seeing it in my mind, are you not?:

:if you allow it….your shields are very strong…..:

He smiled again, :As are yours, Little Human…."

"Cara,….." The Commander waited for her to say more, since she'd switched to verbal again….but when nothing else was forthcoming, he sent the emotion /confusion/:?:

/amusement/ :My name, it's Cara…..I figured "little human" might get confusing if there are more humans around….. And your name is….?:

/amusement/irritation/resolve/confusion/ :What _IS_ it that you humans have with naming things? Are names not just descriptions of existence?:

Cocking her head, she considered that, then thought, :Maybe…but it allows for a deeper connection. IN some religions on Ea….my planet, knowing a creatures name gives you power over it. Don't Wraith have names?:

Careful to keep his mind voice neutral, he replied :We have designations of rank and status, as well as personal information…but I doubt you could pronounce my "name"…..at least not the verbal portion of it….:

/interest/understanding/ :ahh, so Wraith names are a combination of telepathic images or thoughts and verbal effects….. Well I can't go around calling you "hey You" or "the creature"….so, is there anything I can call you? Just to avoid confusion?:

:You could call me 'Master'…..: /amusement/

/Amusement/sarcasm/ : I don't _think_ so…give it another shot?:

Sighing, the Commander thought for a few moments before he said, :There is another human of my acquaintance who is like a brother to me…..one who I do not always get along, but a brother still. He calls me a human name that might suffice for the moment…..:

/confusion/ :ok…and that is….?:

"You may call me Todd…

"Todd…..", :Todd:….she spoke his name both verbally and mentally, as though trying it on…then smiled , or tried to, as a yawn took over the smile. Once it was done, she said, "Todd it is….."

:You are tired, Lit…Cara. Perhaps you would care to sleep?:

:Yes please…:, he could sense her exhaustion as he slowly stood, feeling from her mind what she was experiencing, amused when she tried to avoid gazing at his body. :Wraith do not have the fixation on nudity that may human cultures seem to Cara… come, let us get you to your rest: Picking her up, the Commander gathered her to him and stood up, stepping out of the soaking unit onto the drying area. A burst of warm air and air born radiation dried them almost immediately and he carried her into his quarters.

Hesitating, he looked at the bed, before her heard her mental voice, almost asleep, :you can just put me on a couch, or the floor with a blanket….I'll be fine…I don't want to invade your bed: Chuckling softly, he strode toward the bed and while holding her against him, carefully drew the furs and bedding down, slipping her under as she fell deeply asleep. He carefully covered her up and wondered, what, exactly, he'd gotten himself in for now.


	3. Chapter 2

Cara woke alone in the strange bed and for a moment, she felt a wave of panic. She expected to feel the hard table beneath her and her limbs tied with the ropes. Instead, she felt the touch of fur and a rather soft surface beneath her. Sighing, as the events of yesterday? Last night? Went through her mind. The creature, no, _**Todd**_, she corrected herself, had saved her from the soldiers..the _**GENII**_, and brought her to his….Hive? She still had no real idea what a HIVE was, but she felt safe…though she knew nothing about Todd or his kind…the _**Wraith**_. Sitting up, she realized she was STILL naked. Sighing, she looked around the darkened room and wondered, absently, where the light switch was. Suddenly, the light flared on and for a moment she was nearly blinded. She let out a little yelp, and thought , :softer please….too bright….: Immediately, the lights dimmed and she looked up, expecting to see Todd standing in the room. But she was alone, as far as she could see. Confused, she reached out with her mind, looking for a person. She felt the presence of many other telepaths, but shied away from their thoughts, as it seemed wrong to intrude…but one presence felt different from any other. She reached out, cautiously, touching the mind and felt a huge presence that seemed to suffuse the entire area. The presence wasn't angry, or mean, indeed it felt cautiously excited as though it was hoping she was what it had been seeking. Curious, she reached a bit further and found that while there were not true WORDS, this entity transmitted feelings, impressions, thoughts… Her fear forgotten, she caressed the entity's mind, and it opened to her, allowing her to feel the loneliness and sadness it had been feeling, along with many other emotions, positive as well as negative. The ship knew she wasn't exactly what she was what it had been waiting for, but her feeling was….

:Wait…..did you think SHIP?: Cara leapt to her feet and rushed over to the wall, forgetting her current state of dress, or rather Undress, and looked out what she'd assumed was a window. It was a window, but the sight that met her eyes nearly caused her to drop to the ground. It was quite obvious looking out that window :porthole?: that she was not on a planet. She felt the touch of Todd's mind, slightly worried as he tried to see what had caused her sudden strong emotions, idly she assured him she was fine, and she went back to the ship's thoughts. She concentrated on the ship, /questioning/ : you ARE the ship, aren't you?:

/positive response/ almost a caress of her mind, as though the ship sought to calm her. She reached back and caressed the ship in return sending :I'm fine…it was just a shock….are you sentient?:

/amusement/acceptance/ If the ship COULD have talked, it would have said something like "obviously". As it was, the ship felt almost parental, as though it was amused at her youth or naivety. She used the connection to move through the ship, it was connected to every system. Careful to not change or touch anything, she used the mental connection to explore, accompanied by the consciousness of the ship. Occasionally, a very aware mind, no WRAITH, she corrected herself, would try to stop or corner her, but the ship gently, in most cases, guided those minds away from her as she explored around her. She idly tried to access the deeper, personal sentience of the ship, the memories, but the ship gently guided her away; leaving her with the feeling that would be for a later date.

She continued her exploration, now her physical body had sunk to the floor and the ship actually seemed to form around her, into the most comfortable "chair" she had ever sat in. She went through the different places, shying away from some things, such as a Wraith in a rather compromising position. :Well…at least I know that Wraith and human's are compatible in that way: Then she found a section of the ship that seemed different; cold, restrained. She tried to use the ships sensors to see the room, but the ship gently prevented her. She cast her mind out, as the ship almost sighed, both amused and mildly exasperated that she refused to be guided away. She felt the being in this room, and several other in the vicinity and realized they were all human, though not Earth humans, more like the villagers in the planet she landed on first. But these people were in some sort of trance or deep sleep and confined in small cubicles, for lack of a better word. She queried the ship, but received no real answer, merely a "when you're ready" type of answer. She would have gone further, but just then , there was a beep on one wall and an opening began appearing, obviously a door.

Two women stood in the doorway, one, slightly shorter than the other with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. The taller woman was striking, a real beauty with blond hair artfully arranged to look as though she'd just rolled out of bed and green eyes, that seemed to glare at Cara. The smaller woman was smiling, a little shyly, and her brown eyes were friendly. Both carried items in their hands and Cara drew herself up to her full height, granted not as much as she wished, and raised her chin, responding to the blonds' obvious dislike. The smaller woman's smile faltered as she turned her head to look up at her companion, and frowned. Then she said,

"Greetings…my name is Halla…this is Celandra. We were ordered to bring you some clothes, personal items and some food. Mama Mearl thought you might be hungry. "

Clearing her throat, though her voice was still somewhat hoarse, Cara said,  
"I'm Cara….who is Mama Mearl?" The blond narrowed her eyes and spoke in a cold voice, "Mama Mearl is in charge of the human worshippers on this Hive. I'm sure you'll meet her soon enough when you are moved to the Workers quarters….." Halla frowned, "Celandra!" Turning to Cara, Halla smiled apologetically and said, "Don't mind her…the Commander requested her a few times before he…errr..found you, and now she's a little jealous".

Cara smiled at Halla and said, "I'm sure she is…I take it staying in the Commander's quarters is a big deal?" Halla nodded and said, "Oh yes! Becoming a private or personal worshipper, especially to one as influential as the Commander, is very special! Here…this is some food we brought to you…..and some clothes", as Halla deliberately ignored Cara's lack of dress, blushing, Celandra did not. Celandra looked Cara up and down, her look saying plainly that she saw no threat in this new woman. Cara felt her mind and sensed her bitterness, anger and jealousy and reacted accordingly. Drawing herself up, she said, "Thank you Halla for the clothes and food…I'll make sure to tell the Commander wonderful you are….. Celandra, you may go now…" Glaring, and fury filling her, Celandra drew back her arm, possibly to throw the bundle at Cara and Cara simply reacted…shoving Celandra mentally backward, into the hallway. The blond woman stared, shocked and frightened at Cara, who raised her chin and continued to watch the blond. At that moment, the familiar form of the Commander walked into sight and stopped, taking into account what he saw and what he felt. He reached out to touch Cara's mind and she allowed him in, to see what she had done and why, and he mentally summoned a drone, ordering him , :take this one: , indicated the blond on the ground, : to the worshippers section and confine her…then have the Head Worshipper report to me for instructions…tomorrow.: The drone nodded, then stepped in and picked the blond up, preparing to follow instructions, but Celandra wasn't done, she grabbed at the Commander's coat, crying, "NO! Commander…please…..she attacked me…". Disgusted, Todd wiped the blonds hands off his coat and said, "are we acquainted, human? If so, it must not have been very important as I do not remember you at all. " Cara smirked at the stricken expression on the blonds face as Todd entered his quarters and nodded to her, "Madame", : I trust you are well? Perhaps once the others are gone, we can discuss a few things: She nodded, "Commander" :thank you for allowing me to save face here….I'm happy to tell you all about it in private:.

Turning to Halla, Cara said, "Thank you again…you can go ahead and leave now, unless the Commander has any need of you?"

Todd chuckled, /Amusement/ "No…you may leave, human….but if you please my Worshipper, perhaps I will have you assigned to her permanently. Looking nervous, the woman bowed and hurried down the hall, following the Drone who half dragged, half carried the semi-hysterical blond.

Todd entered the quarters and began removing his outer coat. Watching his new pet, he cocked his head and thought, :you have been very busy, Little Human….would you like to join me in a soak while you tell me about it?:

Frowning, Cara thought, :are you angry with me?: /worry/fear/nervous/

Todd cocked his head as he stroked his goatee and thought to her, /comfort/amusement/gentle mental caress/ :I am not angry, Little One….but I have felt you exploring the ship today and I'm curious as to what you have found and what you feel…and I believed you enjoyed the soaking before, yes?:

/Hesitant happiness/hesitant mental touch/ :I did enjoy it…:

/Amusement/welcoming/ :then come…you're already dressed for it, Cara…:

:huh? OH!: Blushing from head to toe, Cara realized that Todd's teasing remark was correct, the entire previous conversations had happened with her standing naked in Todd's quarters. /Ashamed/embarrassed/wanting to hide/

Todd finished removing his outer coat and padded softly over to her, gently reaching out to touch her shoulders as he thought :There is nothing to be embarrassed about, Cara….and no need to hide..now come, join me in the soaking unit….:

Cara knew this was a turning point in her life; one decision that would decide what path she took for the rest of her life. Todd seemed to sense her thoughts and stepped back from her, letting his hands fall from her shoulders, but reaching out one hand, palm down, allowing her to make her own choices. Her mind cast around and found that Todd's mind was open to her, at least part of it. Should she say no, he would still help her, but their connection would go a different way…then she touched the entity of the ship and knew her choice was already made. She reached out and hesitantly touched Todd's hand, allowing him to wrap his hand around hers, though there was a strange feeling to his palm. That was a conversation for later however, for now, she allowed him to lead her from main quarters to the soaking unit.


	4. Author Note

Author Note:

There WILL be some sexual content from this point forward. Though sex is not the only thing that will happen, if you are offended by sex between a Wraith and a Human (at the very least), stop reading here.

Since I am following 's NO MA POLICY, the more graphic scenes will be cut from this copy. I will have a copy available on some other server eventually with the HOT HOT HOT scenes.

While I can see the thought that this is a Mary Sue, Cara is not perfect by any means. BUT, she has talents and skills that will be developed.

Todd is also obviously not perfect….he's manipulative and while he has positive qualities and feelings, he also has ulterior motives for most of what he does.


	5. Chapter 3

The Commander led Cara into the bathing room, by the hand and again, Cara noticed that there was a strange feeling on her palm from him. He let go of her hand to turn on the water and enzymes and she realized with some urgency that she really needed to use the bathroom. Hesitantly, she thought,

/embarrassed/urgent/ :where are the facilities?: The Commander turned to look at her, frowning, and sent back ,

/confusion/:Facilities?:

/more urgency/ Yeah, you know..the toilet? He frowned again before the knowledge dawned on him and he nodded his head toward a door on the wall near the drying unit. Cara smiled tremulously at him and let go of his hand, hurrying over to the room. The door opened and while there was everything necessary, the room didn't' t appear to have bee n used for some time. She filed that information away with others, intending to ask Todd about it after they were in the tub. Finishing her biological business, she washed her hands in the sink and opened the door to walk out. The Commander stood where she'd left him, idly watching the tub fill with water and enzyme, his expression a million miles away from here, obviously thinking about thing quite deeply. Hesitant to interrupt him, Cara reached out mentally to gently touch his mental shields, prepared to stay back if he were unwelcoming. However, she needn't have worried as he accepted her mental touch and started physically, turning to face her, he held out his hand, this time palm up. Now she saw what had caused the strange feeling on her palm, there was sort of cut or something on his palm. She walked over and took his hand in both of her,

/worried/curious/mildly frightened/ :may I?:

/amused/accepting/hesitant/ :of course….:

/hesitant/ : I don't want to hurt you….:

/amused/hesitant/resigned/ :you will not hurt me:

Tara held his hand in both of hers and gently ran her thumb over the raised feature on his palm, and saw as well as felt Todd shiver

/confused/worried/

Toddy smiled gently at her

/hesitant/amused/slightly aroused/ : it is a mildly….erogenous zone for Wraith:

Cara smiled, and ran her thumb over his hand again, enjoying the shiver that shook him., as well as his amusement and other emotions. The thing on his hand was puckered slightly, but quivered beneath her touch, almost like a second mouth….

/shocked/surprised/worried/ Todd's face betrayed none of the emotions that she felt from his mind. Cocking her head to the side, she gazed at him and raised her eyebrows, /curious/intrigued/ questioning/

Todd sighed, he knew this conversation was essential, she couldn't make up her mind about anything without the facts. Her choice to go with him that she had reached in the other room was not yet set in stone. There was every chance that once she learned the truth, she would comes to a different decision. He gazed at her, opening more of his public mind, running a gently caressing touch over her shields, asking to be allowed inside. /resolved/worried/hesitant/ :it is my feeding organ:

She frowned, that was an odd thing to call it, she raised her eyes to Todd and sent him /confused/interested/curious/caring/ :feeding organ? Can you explain, please?:

Todd nodded, but said, out loud, "I will…but will you join me in the soaking unit first? The mixture is ready….." The verbal answer sounded odd, until she realized his shields were back up and he was seeping /worry/ through them. She nodded and then hesitation , "how do I get in there? "

Despite his emotions, he was amused at her question, he quickly removed his clothes and then gently took her hand with his other hand, that apparently had no "feeding organ" and led her into the soaking tub. Once they were at the far side, he was shoulder deep standing, she was kneeling on the bench which kept the goop from getting in her face. She looked at him once more and thought,

/questioning/ supportive/curious/attracted/ :feeding organ?:

/resolved/hesitant/curious/attracted/ :yes: and he switched to verbal " there is much you do not know of Wraith…."

She smiled, "then teach me, Todd…..

Todd sighed, resolved to this, but still wishing he didn't have to do this so soon. Carefully blocking his emotions, but still allowing her in his public mind he thought, :Once adults, Wraith do not eat food as humans do. We absorb nutrients through our feeding organs. "

/confusion/acceptance/curiosity/ :ok…where do you get nutrients? :

/resolved/hesitation/slight anger/ :Do you remember on the planet, when I was untying you?:

/FEAR/PAIN/TERROR/sadness :yes….:

/soothing/comforting/hesitant/worried/a gentle caress of her mind that she leaned into, allowing him to comfort her, :I told you my crew were culling that world?:

/leaning into his mental caress/fear/comforted by his closeness/fear/sadness/ :Yes…I remem…. : "OH!...you….you FEED on humans? /burst of fear/ Todd sighed, he felt the burst of fear from her, but to his great surprise, she neither moved away mentally or physically. Though she was /worried/hesitant/concerned/sad/comforted/touching his mind/, she remained where she was and looked up at him , :you eat humans? Are you going to eat me?:

/resolved/ :we do not EAT humans…we absorb their life force through our feeding organs. But they do die from being fed on…and no, little human, I am not planning on feeding on you. Had I intended that, I would have done so on the planet:

/concerned/curious/worried/slightly sickened/ :Do you have an option? Can you NOT feed on humans?:

Todd sighed, "If we do not feed, Little Human, we die. We cannot feed on any other life form, except humans. "

/curious/concerned/worried/attracted/ :so…you're the apex predator of this …universe?:

/surprised/hesitant/confused/attracted/worried/ :Galaxy, but yes. We are predators and or prey happen to be the humans of this galaxy. We feed on their life-force, they die and our hunger is abated for the moment. But we can control who we feed on, and how we feed, unless we are very, very hungry.

/enlightened/attracted/accepting/shocked/concerned/ :that is what those rooms were…the ones the ship wouldn't let me see…it's where you store….your food…until you're hungry. Rather like cold storage….:

/confused/worried/attracted/concerned/ :the ship wouldn't let you see…were you that involved with my Hive?:

/embarrassed/confused/attracted/worried/ :I was looking for you, but I found this giant sentience….and it turned out it was the ship….it…she..let me look around. But I was careful not to touch anything or mess anything up…the ship and I had a nice….talk?: /confusion/

Deciding that was a talk for another time, Todd filed the information away , intending to speak to his Hive first thing in the morning, until then, the conversation with Cara had to continued. "Cara…I know this must come as a shock to you ….if you've changed your mind…"

/HORROR/PAIN/Confused/FEAR/sadness/abandonment/ :NO!: "NO"!

The power of her mental upset temporarily overpowered his immediate shields and allowed her to get all his immediate emotions. She absorbed them, and went on, trying for calm,

/fear/confusion/curiosity/attraction/intrigue/worry/acceptance/ :Please don't get rid of me…. I can't hold it against you that here, in this place, humans aren't the apex predator…:

/Calm/JOY/worry/soothing/attraction/ : I would not get rid of you, silly Little Human. I merely thought the news might change your mind about staying here…with me. Many humans find the information unforgivable. :

/Calm/Curious/attraction/need/acceptance/ :I'm not most humans….besides, there seem to be a lot of humans who accept it….Halla seemed to indicate that there were others, many other, humans on board…:

/hesitant/joy/attraction/connection/caressing her mind absently/ :Not all of them chose to stay willingly, Cara….:

/confusion/surprise/ :they're here against their will?

/hesitant/ :no, they are here willingly….now. They just not all made the initial decision to remain on their own.:

/acceptance/happiness/calm/attraction/ :Well, I have chosen to stay, all on my own…: /hesitation/worry/:if you still want me too….:

Todd smiled at her and huffed, a deep sound that seemed more amused than anything, He held out his hand once more and smiled again as she took it without hesitation, pulling her around in front of him and gently toward him. There was still things they both needed to talk about, but those could wait. At this point, Todd was reminded how long it had been since he'd last procreated. He gently touched her mind, sending /attraction/arousal/question/need/desire/invitation/ into the public part of her mind, gazing at her, eyes questioning, as he used his free hand to stroke his goatee. She worried her bottom lip again, hesitated, then returned the emotions /attraction/desire/worry/acceptance/need/ back to him as she moved closer to him and knelt with both her knees on the bench, on either side of his hips. Gently, almost hesitantly, she reached up and ran her fingers over his goatee, as he had been doing. He let his hands fall down, landing on her hips, holding her gently.

"I'm not sure how…." Surprised, Todd responded, "Have you never procreated before?" She frowned, "Procreated? Oh…yes, I've had sex before….just not with …Wraith…..is it…different?" He smiled at her, gently and pulled her closer, allowing his arousal to touch her most feminine parts.

/arousal/need/ :it is not exactly the same, I believe….but it is not so different….:

Todd lowered his head to run his lips over her neck, feeling her shiver and feeling the arousal she felt through their connected minds. Though there was some hesitancy on both their parts, almost all other emotion was gone now, leaving them both filled with desire and arousal, needing the touch of the other. He raised his head and placed a nuzzled her chin as he thought :I believe the act you call kissing is a bit more difficult with Wraith, but I am willing to learn, if it will please you….:

/AROUSAL/NEED/DESIRE/ :please…I need to feel you….make love to me, Todd..please…..: Todd smiled, almost all rational thought was gone from her mind…..she was just a need. The Need to feel him inside her, the need to be joined physically to him, the need to touch and be touched. And in all those, he was more than willing to fulfill her desires. And he was more than willing to do that now….

Afterwards, he held her, relaxed and comfortable. She lay in his arms, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she lay, boneless in his arms. She had no idea how long she lay there, until she realized that she was hearing an odd sounds. Raising her head, she gazed around before realizing the sound was coming from Todd. Almost a purr, it reverberated throughout his entire body. He met her gaze, eyes heavy lidded and she smiled, before running her fingers over his goatee, which made him growl, and she dropped a quick kiss on his lips, before putting her head back down on his shoulder, feeling his amusement even as he purred in her ear. It was sometimes before they could move, thanks, as Todd explained to a unique physical reaction that was part of Wraith physiology. Eventually, she stood up, while Todd kept his hands on her, to prevent her from falling. Once she was secure on her feet, he led her from the soaking tub, to the drying area, then toward the bed. She stumbled once, and Todd simply swept her up in his arms, causing her to laugh as she thought,

/amused/:carrying me to bed is becoming a habit…:

He gave an amused huff, and thought, /amused/ :A habit I have no problem continuing. : He gently tucked her into the bed, then joined her, pulling her close to him, and smiling as she burrowed against him, snuggled close. She shivered and said, "brr…it's a little chilly in here….". Almost immediately, there was an influx of heat, that cause her to raise her head and look at Todd's face, which was smiling, obviously proud of himself. /confusion/amusement/ :How did you do that?:

/AMUSEMENT/satiation/ :Wraith can change their body temperature as needed….now rest, Little human…..sleep…..:

/sleepy/satiated/amused/ :Will you sleep too? Or do you have to leave….:

/comfort/calming/amusement/ :Wraith do not sleep, Little Cara…..but I will remain here with you until it is time for my shift to begin…..:

Sleepy/comforted/confusion/interest/ She would have replied, but the warmth from his body, combined with his bone deep purring and her own sleepiness sent her over the edge into slumber, still held in his arms.


End file.
